Sweater blocking and drying frame



30, 1969 A. commie ET AI. 3,486,669

SWEATER BLOCKING AND DRYING FRAME Filed May 24, 1968 Albert 6. George Fig 3 Irene V. George Larry E. George Diane L. George M l INVENTORS United States Patent 3,486,669 SWEATER BLOCKING AND DRYING FRAME Albert C. George, Irene V. George, Larry E. George, and Diane L. George, Stateline, Nev. (all of 5750 Home Gardens Drive, Reno, Nev. 89502) Filed May 24, 1968, Ser. No. 731,809 Int. Cl. A41h /00, A47j 51/18 US. Cl. 22369 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a wire frame which is marginally delineated to fit within the body and sleeves of a sweater which has been washed and which has to be hung up for blocking and drying, and pertains, more particularly, to a frame which comprises a pair of like halfsections of requisite contour and wherein upper and lower terminal ends of the respective lengths of wire are separably united in coplanar relationship by coupling sleeves.

Briefly, the inventive concept has to do with an innovation in that the frame or form is made up of a pair of identical components each of which is designated as a one piece half-section. Each half-section is bent upon itself in a manner to provide the frame proper which fits with requisite nicety into the shouldered body portion of the sweater. The median bends or bent portions of the respective half-sections are 'U-shaped and when spread out.- wardly in a common plane they define arms which are designed to fittingly lodge themselves in the arms of the ready-to-dry sweater. The free or terminal ends of the bent wire half-sections are telescopingly projected into complemental upper and lower assembling and uniting sleeves. The upper sleeve is equipped with a garment hanger hook which is hung and suspended in a customarily usable manner.

An object of the invention is to structurally, functionally and in other feasible asd practical ways improve upon garment hangers, for example, those which are expressly contoured to effectually suspend, block and dry sweaters, shirtwaists and the like.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view which may be described either as a plan view or an elevational view of a sweater blocking and drying frame constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention and showing the same readied for use, the sweater being omitted for clearness of illustration.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view with parts in section and elevation showing the upper hook-equipped sleeve-type connector with parts assembled and other parts disconnected.

FIG. 3 is a view on a suitably enlarged scale with parts in section and elevation showing the lower sleeve-type 'ice connector and how the terminal ends are fitted and .retained in interconnected relationship, and

, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view drawn on an appropriately enlarged scale showing component parts partly assembled and partly disconnected.

Referring now to the views of the drawing the sweater blocking and drying frame, construed as a ready-to-use structure is denoted by the numeral 6 in FIG. 1. This frame is primarily made up of duplicate one piece Wire half-sections. These half-sections are each made up of a single length of wire which is bent upon itself between its end portions to define companion components. A description of one half-section will suffice for both. To this end each half-section comprises a substantially L-shaped body or waist portion 8 characterized by a long leg 10 and a relatively short complemental leg 12. The upper end i portion of the wire is fashioned into and provides an end portion which is here referred to, for sake of distinction, as a shoulder portion 14 and'has a substantially straight terminal end portion 16. The intervening portion of the wire is bent upon itself to provide an elongate outstanding U-shaped arm portion which is denoted by the numeral 18 and which embodies an upper leg 20, a slightly shorter companion leg 22 and a connecting portion 24, referred to specifically as a bight portion. The upper shoulder portion 14 is an extension of the leg 20 and is at a slight angle and is also at an oblique angle to the leg 10. When the two half-sections are assembled in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1 they are disposed in a common plane. Then, too, when readied for use the L-shaped portions 8 in conjunction with the angular portions 14 define the body portion, that is, the part of the over-all frame which fits within the confines of the waist or body portion of the sweater (not shown).

It will be noted that the upper and lower connectors are centralized with respect to the over-all frame and are in the same plane and are somewhat lined up with each other as is evident from FIG. 1. The upper connector comprises a short length of aluminum tubing which is here specifically referred to as a sleeve 26 and whose hollow portion 28 (FIG. 2) serves to telescopingly and retentatively receive the insertable and removable terminal end portions 16. For best results each end portion is provided with a rubber or an equivalent stabilizing washer 32 which encircles the end portion and abuts the coacting end portion of the sleeve. This upper sleeve is provided with a garment hanger hook, more specifically, a hook 34 similar to that found on currently used coat hangers and the like and which has a shank 36 which is at right angles to the sleeve and is welded or otherwise connected to the central portion 38 of the sleeve. The lower connector is also in the form of a hollow openended metal tube which is likewise referred to as a sleeve 40 and which is such that it telescopingly receives the insertable and removable end portions 42 of the aforementioned legs 12. Hereagain, stabilizing rubber or equivalent washers 44 are provided and surround the terminal end portions and abut the ends of the sleeves. These sleeves are also referred to as assembling and coupling members.

It will be evident therefore that the device, generally speaking, is characterized by two metal or equivalent separable and contoured half-sections which when assembled provide an appropriately delineated frame as shown in FIG. 1. These sections or half-sections are individually inserted into the body of the sweater or shirtwaist with the sleeve portions 18 projecting through the cooperating arms of the sweater.

Contrasted with analogous frame-type forms and hangers for sweaters and similar garments it will be evident that the one herein shown and described is simple, practical, is easy to use and is such that it will comply with manufacturing requirements of manufacturers and will doubtless Well serve the purposes of retailers and users.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use when called upon to block and dry a sweater orthe like, a suspending, blocking, and drying frame expressly delineated in plan to conformingly orient itself with a sweater when properly hung thereon, said frame comprising: a pair of duplicate half-sections, the over-all ready-to-use frame being characterized by a compatibly formed (1) body portion having upper complemenfal shoulder portions and (2) a pair of outstanding companion coplanar arm portions, and upper and lower individual connectors separably coupling coacting terminal ends of said half-sections together, said upper connector having a hanger-type suspension hook joined thereto,

each half-section being formed from a single length of wire which is bent upon itself between its ends, the lower end portion of the wire being substantially L-shaped in elevation, the upper end portion being straight lengthwise but disposed at an angle oblique to the connector with which it is cooperable, and the integrating median part of the wire being substantially U-shaped and positioned in the required locale between the coordinating coplanar positions of said upper and lower end portions, and wherein each connector comprises an open-ended tubular sleeve into which the insertable oriented terminal ends of said wire half-sections are telescopingly removably fitted and operatively but separatively' united.

2. A sweater suspending, blocking and drying device comprising a frame embodying a pair of duplicate readily separable and connectible half-sections, each half-section being formed from a single length of wire which is bent upon itself between its respective terminal ends, the lower end portion of each bent Wire being substantially L-shaped in-elevation, the upper end portion being longitudinally straight, and the median part of the wire being substantially U-shaped and positioned in the locale required between the coordinating co-planar upper and lower end portions, an upper connector for assembling and uniting said half-sections, and a complemental lower connector coplanar with and in a position below and lined up with said upper connector, each connector comprising a tubular coupling sleeve into which the oriented terminal ends ofthe wire half-sections are telescopingly and retentively fitted, said sleeves serving to separably join said halfsections in temporarily assembled coplanar relationship, said terminal ends each being provided with a manually adjustable friction-retained rubber Washer designed and adapted to abut a cooperable end of a coacting sleeve.

3. The blocking and drying device defined in and according to claim 2, and, in combination, a garment hanger hook having a shank, said shank integrally joined with a central portion of said upper sleeve.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,137,691 11/1938 Landsman 2'23--69 2,213,975 9/1940 Burwell 223--69 2,777,618 1/1957 Wilklow 22369 2,887,257 5/1959 Itkonen 22369 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner 

